ThoughtCrime: 08/08/95
German-American Jailed for Writing Letter
On August 8th, the thought-police arrested a German-American human rights
activist for thoughtcrime. Hans Schmidt was arrested at the Frankfurt/Main
airport enroute to his home in Florida. Schmidt's crime - having written
something in his newsletter, USA-Bericht / GANPAC Brief, which
offended certain individuals. Hans Schmidt mailed an open letter to a German government official
last November. Schmidt's essay was devoted to advocacy of non-violence in
the present and future political life of Germany. The offending passage
was, "...My God, what do you people imagine? It was the Left, the anarchists,
the Jew-and-Freemason-infested political system, along with the controlled
press, which have for decades hunted down all Nationals: brutally, intolerantly,
unrelentingly and hatefully." Schmidt is known as the President of GANPAC, a political action
committee which represents the interests of Germans and Americans of German
descent living in the United States. Schmidt has been a U.S. citizen since
1955. In the past, Schmidt has been outspoken in his views on the rehabilitation
of the German soldiers' image. He has stated that this image has been tarnished
by incessant media attacks. Schmidt has been sent to a prison in Schweirn. He is being represented
by Hajo Herrmann, the attorney who defended U.S. gas chamber expert
Fred A. Leuchter Jr. , who
was also arrested in Germany for thought-crimes. Schmidt has been charged
under Article 130 of the German penal code. If found guilty, Schmidt "shall
be punished by a term of imprisonment of three months to five years." Recently, individuals in the U.S. have organized protests at
various international airports. Protesters have distributed a
Travelers Alert for travelers going to Germany.
Concerned Americans have written letters of protest to the White House and
have distributed various warnings on the Internet
.
For those interested in assisting Mr. Schmidt, please write to:
Germany Embassy
Human Rights Department
Washington, D.C.
The Hans Schmidt Defense Committee
POB 871
Green Brook NJ 08812
Adapted from: The Spotlight, August 28, 1995, September 4, 1995 (300 Independence
Ave. SE, Washington, D.C. 20003) and Smith's Report Number 26, September
1995.
"Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death."
George Orwell
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